Historic Makiki Heights

By Melissa Chang

Published: 2011.12.05 07:04 AM

All photos by Franzen Photography

I was so bowled over by the photos of this new listing on Makiki Heights, I had to drive up to take a tour. The artsy and retro-chic interior, plus the unusual panoramic view, beckoned to me through the computer screen. (Click here for details.)

As it turns out, the home is not just beautiful, it's got an interesting history. It was originally built by Mrs. Richard A. Cooke Sr. (this was back in the day when women were identified by their husbands) on property owned by her daughter, Anna Karen Cooke Johnson. The site of this home, in fact, was actually the tennis court, so the lanai still has the original pillars that bordered the court. (Johnson's own home was previously the residence of Philip and Alice Cooke Spalding, who later built a new home next door, known as the Spalding House ... which is now The Contemporary Museum.)

The Cookes had renowned architect Albert Ely Ives design the home in 1957. In 1985, Dudley Child, owner of Interisland Resorts-the largest Hawaii hotel chain of that time-bought the house. Child had interior designer Jack Adams renovate: his study became a media room and padded wall home theater with a retractable 10-foot projection screen and 7.1 channel speaker system. Adams also reconfigured and enlarged the kitchen to include a breakfast room, which was previously a covered lanai.

The current owner, Richard Reese, is a designer himself and expanded on the existing design. He gutted the mauka wing, which was previously two small bedrooms and baths, and designed an additional master bedroom suite in the style of the original house with new spa bath and walk-in closet.

The new wing features wide-plank koa floors and the grand formal dining room has koa built-ins. The two master suites overlook zen-like gardens and lead out to the large lanai. The double master bathroom has been transformed into a stylish, state-of-the-art, virtual spa that overlooks the courtyard pool. But don't just take my word for it. Click here to take a tour of the home to see all the details.

The home now has three bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms under 3,316 square feet of living area. Although it's a single-level residence, there is a downstairs storage room that can be accessed through stairs outside, hidden through some clever design.

Much of the original landscaping on the 12,000 square foot property, which borders conservation land, has been retained, with new landscaping in the private courtyard. When you walk out to the expansive tennis court-turned-lanai, you get a breathtaking view of the mountains and forests all the way out to Diamond Head and the ocean. (Click here for video.)